The Oklahoma Congressional delegation is well on its way to staying solid red- and all incumbent. One of the five has punched his ticket to represent Oklahoma again in 20025-2026- that's Frank Lucas who beat two GOP challengers on Tuesday and has no opponents in November.

Both Tom Cole and Kevin Hern beat their challengers on Tuesday as well- but they will have opposition in November.

Cole withstood a huge tsunami of out of state cash to win the GOP nomination- as challenger Paul Bondar spent millions but only mustered 26% of the Fourth District GOP vote- the winners there were the media outlets who cashed his checks.

Both Josh Brecheen and Stephanie Bice had no GOP challenge- but will face opponents in November.

As for Congressman Lucas- I talked with him last night and he's excited to focus on work and not another election the rest of this year- especially helping GT Thompson figure out a way to get the 2024 Farm Bill to a vote in the full US House. Listen to our conversation by clicking on the Blue Button below.

One BIG surprise came in the Senate District 13 race- NonDoc's tres Savage writes "Senate Floor Leader Greg McCortney (R-Ada) fell to veteran Jonathon Wingard, a political unknown who reported raising only $26,100 and who benefited from conservative furor over the Senate’s decision not to vote on an income tax cut and other topics. Wingard finished with 51.78 percent of the vote, topping McCortney’s 48.22 percent. In all, 7,348 Republicans voted in the SD 13 primary."

McCortney was Greg Treat's choice to replace him as the Pro Tem. The Senate will now vote on a new leader January 7, 2025.

The Oklahoma Agriculture Mediation Program knows this is a hard time for farmers and ranchers. We want you to know we are still open, and we are still here for you. The Ag Mediation program is a free service that provides mediation to agriculture producers who may need help with ag-related disputes.

At Oklahoma Ag Mediation, we have been helping people in agriculture resolve conflicts since 1987. We know firsthand about working together to resolve conflicts, so you don’t have to go through the court systems. Let our professional mediators help you. Mediation is allowed for lease issues, farmer/neighbor disputes, family farm transitions, and more. These services are available at no cost for Oklahoma farmers and ranchers in all 77 counties. For more information, you can go to ok.gov/mediation, or give us a call at 800 248 5465.



Mike Schulte Excited This Year’s Winter Wheat Harvest is Best in Several Years

Yesterday I had the chance to talk with Oklahoma Wheat Commission’s Mike Schulte about an overview of this year’s hard red winter wheat harvest in Oklahoma. With close to 90 percent of the state complete with harvest, Schulte said this year’s crop was around two weeks ahead of schedule from normal.

The weather presented a few challenges at the beginning of harvest for some parts of the state, but they were able to pick back up and keep harvest rolling, producing high-quality wheat to be marketed. Moisture was a common trend in this year’s harvest, causing a few pauses along the way for producers.

In the latest crop progress report released from USDA-NASS, winter wheat harvested reached 83 percent (slightly lower than Oklahoma Wheat Commission’s estimate at 87 percent), up 35 points from the previous week and up 46 points from normal (Last year was 40 percent).

Based on his observations and what he has heard around the state, Schulte also talked about the latest USDA Crop Production report which estimated Oklahoma to yield 38 bushels per acre, up 10 bushels from last year.

“I think we will be better than 38 (bushels per acre) just based off of what we have heard,” Schulte said. “I want to go ahead and try to be positively optimistic for that, so I am going to say 40 to 42. I think it is maybe going to be even closer to 42 than 40.”

Greg Hanes Gives Preview of Beef Checkoff Return on Investment Study to be Released Soon

In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am talking with the CEO of the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion Board, Greg Hanes, about the Beef Checkoff’s Return on Investment study. Released every five years, the study highlights the impacts and returns of the Checkoff on the industry.

“Dr. Harry Kaiser from Cornell University has been putting this together,” Hanes said. “We are getting the initial results.”

The latest Return on Investment report will be released at the 2024 Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting set for July 8-10 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront in San Diego, California.

“What we have been seeing is pretty good,” Hanes said. “Last time, if you look at every dollar invested, the impact we got on the industry was about $11.91. This year, it is looking like it is going to be $13.40 (for each dollar invested.)”

In the latest report which will be released soon, Hanes said there will be even more focus on details of the impact of the Beef Checkoff than previous reports.

The National Corn Growers Association, American Farm Bureau Federation and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association joined the American Petroleum Institute today in filing a lawsuit in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s heavy-duty vehicle emissions standards for model years 2027-2032.

The groups said EPA exceeded its congressional authority with the regulation with targets that rely too heavily on electrification and do not fully appreciate the role low-carbon fuels like ethanol play in the transportation sector.

“EPA has tried to impose a one-size-fits-all approach to addressing climate change by prioritizing electric vehicles over other climate remedies like corn ethanol,” said Minnesota farmer and National Corn Growers Association President Harold Wolle. “But while it could take decades to get enough electric vehicles on the road to make a dent in GHG emissions, lower carbon fuels such as ethanol are critical and effective climate tools that are available now. Ethanol is not only critical in the climate fight, but it also saves consumers money at the pump while benefiting America’s rural economies. We look forward to making this case in court.”

Yesterday, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and Public Lands Council (PLC) praised Senate and House introduction of paired Congressional Review Act resolutions that would nullify the Biden Administration’s Phase 2 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) rule.

“The Biden Administration blatantly ignored Congressional authority and took NEPA processes to new levels of inefficiency with their Phase 2 rule. This bicameral, bipartisan resolution will help prevent further weaponization of the federal rulemaking process and allow ranchers to complete critical conservation projects in a timely manner,” said Kaitlynn Glover, NCBA Executive Director of Natural Resources and PLC Executive Director. “Thank you to Representative Graves, Senator Manchin and Senator Sullivan for sending a clear message to the Administration that their efforts to stymie environmental reviews and add regulatory red tape are unacceptable.”

Mark Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist, offers herd health advice as part of the weekly series known as the “Cow Calf Corner,” published electronically by Dr. Peel, Mark Johnson, and Paul Beck. Today, Johnson talks about cow and calf weights in relation to revenue.

I recently attended the 2024 Beef Improvement Federation meetings in Knoxville, TN. Interesting topics covered by an excellent panel of speakers from which I pulled some information together for this week’s topic. Did you know?



• The U.S. cow herd has been steadily increasing in mature weight for several decades. Excess mature weight of cows has several downsides. The focus of this article is its impact on profitability in commercial cow-calf operations.
• For each 100 head of 1,000 pound cows you could run in your cow-calf operation, the same forage base (and feed input cost) would sustain 71 head of 1,400 pound cows.
• For each 100 pound increase in mature weight, cows average approximately 10 more pounds of calf weaning weight produced.

Understanding Edge Effect on Corn Fields

Stunted, yellowing corn plants along field edges have been attributed to herbicide drift, insect feeding and soil compaction over the years, but research suggests it’s something called edge effect. 

Edge effect is commonly caused by corn microclimate and weather patterns. When air initially meets the corn field, it is dryer at the field edge. Due to plant respiration, the air collects more moisture as it passes further into the field. Thus, corn respiration rates are higher along field edges and, over time, that increase leads to elevated drought stress.

This effect is most pronounced when soybeans, hay or pasture are located adjacent to the corn field. Additionally, the effect is seen more on the southern or western sides of the field.

“Competition for water resources between corn plants, neighboring field crops or grass from the ditch can be the main cause of edge effect,” explains Matt Montgomery, Pioneer Field Agronomist. “This issue is only intensified during bouts of high wind and dryness.”